14th session of the Arab Dance Seminar filling up

Once again, I'm posting about the upcoming Arab Dance Seminar. It doesn't take place until November 3-5, 2017, but registration just opened up and it always sells out quickly.

This year it's taking place in Dearborn, Michigan at the Arab American National Museum. The area is filled with Middle Eastern eateries and culture, and participants will be able to enjoy a more 'organic' cultural experience. In addition, Dearborn/Detroit is a fabulous airline hub for travelers. If you are thinking of signing up, don't delay!

This year's theme about the dance of minorities will be really interesting for me to tackle since I focus on the dances of women of the "Gulf" (Arabian Gulf). I want to include some really amazing roots dances that are rarely studied and performed. It is easy to think of the Gulf countries as monolithic desert societies, but they are varied and are influenced by minorities who have lived there for many years. The Gulf is geographically at a global crossroads, bringing people in from all over.

14th Arab Dance Seminar Link to website to register

Here is a recent video of the Arab Dance Seminar, with some clips from my classes teaching "Khaliji" dance.

2014 Arab Dance Seminar Filling Up Fast

This November's Arab Dance Seminar is already 75% full. Why? Because we have the added boost of Aisha Ali as an instructor. One of the pioneering dance ethnologists who traveled to Egypt in the early 1970's, Aisha recorded and filmed Egyptian folk dancers and produced an LP of their music. She is an authority on dance in Egypt. Second reason: the topic is THE DANCE OF POLITICS : How Politics, The Law, and Social Codes Affect Dance in the Arab World.
The seminar will run from November 7-9, 2014 and takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Join us, it promises to be an amazing weekend! If you are at all interested, act fast because it always sells out very quickly.

A link to the website, where you can register, is here.

Tenth Arab Dance Seminar .... only 12 spots left!

This post may be totally repetitive, for many of you reading this are friends with me on facebook and are on my e-mail list. But...in case someone doesn't know, I'm teaching traditional and modern Khaliji (Arabian Gulf) women's dances at the upcoming Tenth Arab Dance Seminar, to be held from November 1-3, 2013 ---- in Las Vegas.  Hosted by the cultural powerhouse Karim Nagi, this intensive weekend of dance instruction and cultural immersion has been a consistent sell out every year. As of today, only a dozen spaces are left. If you are interested, please visit the website - you can register right there:  www.arabdanceseminar.com

This year the topic will be "Storytelling and Theater". As a writer and choreographer, this is one of my favorite subjects - how to bring storytelling into your dance as a soloist...and how to create group choreographies that bring Arab culture to life. Cassandra Shore, director of the Jawaahir Dance Company, has been putting on acclaimed full-length Middle Eastern themed dance theater productions for decades in Minneapolis. She is joining the faculty for this seminar. This is a unique opportunity to learn not only her amazing dance technique, but her take on this important topic. If you aren't in a dance troupe, there is a lot here for you, for we will also touch on how a soloist can tell a story with her dance, and how it's done in the Arab world. A very rich topic indeed.

At the Arab Dance Seminar, each teacher presents a three hour (!) session in his or her dance specialty. There are also panel discussions and classes in music, language and culture. At the end of the seminar, together we have a 'hadraa' and 'zar', a chance for the participants and faculty to meditate, try some Sufi breathing techniques and perhaps a little trancing, if the spirit moves.

We teachers are multicultural voyagers who love to share our adventures on many levels.
This year's lineup:

Karim Nagi - Dabkah (Lebanese line dance)  www.karimnagi.com
Amel Tafsout - North African www.ameltafsout.com
Cassandra Shore - Egyptian www.jawaahir.org
Kay Hardy Campbell - Khaliji www.kayhardycampbell.com

In addition to our dance specialties, each teacher will contribute to discussions about music, culture and language. It's been a joy to be part of this event, starting with the first Arab Dance Seminar, way back in 2005. I feel that in this setting particularly, I can share many facets of my cultural knowledge and artistic passion in a friendly and fun atmosphere. All of the instructors love to take part in the ADS. The participants are particularly interested in the cultural frame and underpinnings of the dance, so that makes for a perfect atmosphere.

Here is the promotional video - filmed at the very first one that was held in New Haven, CT in 2005. Yes that is me teaching the 'Khaliji' class.The other teachers: Nourhan Sharif of New York, Karim Nagi, and Amel Tafsout.